Northeast- Connectivity and Evil Bangladesh
– N K Tripathi
In my early career, I lived in Assam for one year with MP battalion, fighting violence there. Later, I had been going to different states of Northeast and extensively travelled this area. I have an affinity with it, and for me, it’s not a distant corner of India.
India has subdued, at least for the time being, its Western nuisance, Pakistan. Unfortunately, with the change in regime and overthrow and exile of Sheikh Haseena in August last year, Bangladesh has turned into an adversary. Islamist fundamentalists, under whose influence chief advisor Yunus functions, have reined in the nation. Bangladesh is following hostile diplomacy and has cancelled many Indian contracts. In retaliation, India has stopped certain category of goods coming into India by land for the fast export. On Chinese soil, Yunus made a provocative statement, alluding to imminent Chinese influence on our Northeast.
The biggest problem for India in the Northeast is the connectivity. It is only connected by Siliguri corridor running in the north of West Bengal and Bangladesh. At its narrowest it is only 22 km wide. Chinese post near Doklam is hardly any distance from here. Touching this corridor is Rangpur division of Bangladesh, where an old air base Lalmonirhat is likely to be made battle worthy by China. Under Haseena, India almost completed connecting Tripura with the Seaport. This possible strategic opening of the Northeast to the sea is now shelved.
As an alternative India is silently but rapidly developing Northeast connectivity through Myanmar. It is a Multimodal Transport by mKaladan project. India has developed Sittwe seaport in Myanmar, which is under the control of ruling military Junta. Our goods can easily come and go from Calcutta seaport to Sittwe seaport. From the Sittwe seaport goods can travel by Kaladan river upto Paletwa. From Paletwa Mizoram’s Zorinpul is only 109 km by road. This road mostly passes through Chin province which is under rebel national unity government ( NUG ). India is talking to NUG for this facility. This road will touch the Southern point of Mizoram and it will open the whole Northeast. India has in recent years already developed fairly good road and rail connectivity within the seven states of the Northeast.
India must work hard and fast to open this route at the earliest to reduce the vulnerability of the connectivity to the Northeast by the dominating presence of China in Tibet and the nuisance of Bangladesh.
